NH and VT rank high nationally
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From NH Weekly Market Bulletin, Jan 6, 2010 We’ve been talking a lot about
New Hampshire’s high national rankings
in the 2007 Ag Census for direct farm
sales—#3 in the nation for percentage of
sales (8% of total farm sales) from direct
marketing; #1 for percentage of farms
reporting direct sales; and #5 for average
direct sales per farm, at $15,541. What’s
more, Hillsborough and Rockingham counties
ranked in the top 50 (37th and 38th)
nationally for direct market sales—both
reporting over $3.5 million in 2007.
Joanna Samuelson took the Ag Census
direct market sales for each state and
divided by state population to determine
direct farm sales per capita for the last
three Ag Census counts—2007, 2002, and
1997. “Perhaps what’s more telling is the
growth of spending at this point, rather
than the actual numbers,” she observed in
an email. New Hampshire is highest of the
six First Pioneer (now Farm Credit East)
states, and fourth in the U.S. In 2007 per
capita direct farm sales grew 60% to
$12.21 from $8.20 in 2002. The 1997 number
was $7.65.
While New Hampshire’s direct sales
per capita are triple the national average,
the three states ahead of us in 2007 show
the room we still have to expand local farm
sales: Vermont, $36.83; Oregon, $15.09;
and Maine, $14.00. Four of the top five
states are in New England, demonstrating
the strength of the region’s local farm and
food marketing—as well as consumers’
discerning tastes.
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